help!! please.

[scwang]

hi i have a 6 year old female beagle and also a 11 month old male shih tzu maltese. i am about to introduce a new dog into our family who is a 5 month old female golden retriever. i am terribly worried that my dogs will not get along with the new puppy especially my female beagle. any suggestions??

[kuritsa18]

Hello!

If your dogs have been socialized with other dogs and are generally friendly with each other and other people and animals then I don't forsee any real problems with introducing a new dog into your 'pack'. Just remeber to take it slow and it might take a little bit for everyone to get used to the new member Just remember not to play favorites with the new guy just because he is new and still give your other dogs equal attention and love; you don't want to create sibling rivalry Maybe to get them used to each other and have the new guy be accepted faster you can do some fun activities together like taking them all for a walk or playing together outside; just some fun possitive activites where they are all interacting together. Other than that I don't think you will have any major problems.

[scwang]

thanks so much!

[Jesgrate]

It is always best to introduce new dogs to a household while on the leash in a neutral place other than the house. Your present dogs could become territorial and protective of their home and attack your new dog. If introduced somewhere else like a park or on the sidewalk they are less apt to "gang up" on the new dog.

I would also recommend always petting all of them at the same time for awhile to avoid jealousy while talking in a friendly voice. I've always introduced new pets this way and the old dog thinks the new one is an exciting, good thing from all the attention I give both. I've even introduced new cats to a household with dogs this way with the cat on my lap and allowing the dog to come up and sniff the cat (some growling on the cat's part!) and petting the dog's head while talking in a high pitched, fun way. It takes some time. I also do not ever tolerate aggressiveness from any animal in my house and the aggressor must be scolded and told to lie down for 5 minutes so he knows it is unacceptable behavior.